


OkaKoro is Love, and Then Some...

by OwenLabbit



Category: Hololive, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-28 15:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30141630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwenLabbit/pseuds/OwenLabbit
Summary: This is a simple little love story of how two best friends, through work, life, and family, fall in love.  It's like any shoujo.  I hope I use the right amount of drama, action and humor.  It switches between my two protagonist's, Korone and Okayu, POV's.
Relationships: Inugami Korone/Nekomata Okayu, Shishiro Botan/Yukihana Lamy
Comments: 13
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter One

Chapter 1  
Canine View

I watch Okayu and wonder if she realizes how much she creates infatuation with the tone of her voice. I have sensitive hearing, and from the first moment she spoke, I was drawn to the sound. And then her laugh? It makes me want to laugh. Sometimes I think her laugh is a reflex to not take things too seriously, but I know she simply takes life as it comes. She wants to enjoy every moment, and its why I love hanging out with her more than anyone else.  


Everything comes easy to her, and she’s a good friend to everyone at our company, Hololive Corporation.  


We had both come a long way. When I first met her, I had been so afraid and shy, but she encouraged me and now I feel so much stronger because of our friendship. I am somewhat famous now, but I owe that push toward fame to my best of friend, Okayu.

Many Years Ago, …

“Hey doggo, want to join me?” She called from an open door in the backroom, while on the floor playing a video game. “I need a partner for this game.”  


“Um… me?” I pointed to myself and she laughed in that low timbre, only nodding.  


She asked me so simply, as my grandmother visited her grandmother’s onigiri shop. I think maybe they had known each other because they always shared a cup of tea and chatted about old world things. We always drove out here to the mountains every weekend and stopped at the onigiri shop.  


I liked the elderly lady who ran the shop and the Neko in the back seemed to look my way every time we came by. I turned wondering if perhaps she was speaking to someone else. But no, she was asking me to join her and sit beside her and ever since that moment I’ve wanted to sit beside her in this life.  


We ended up playing through one game and then moved onto a few games on the N64 – old school stuff, but my favorite kind.  


I had never laughed with anyone so much. This continued, me and my grandmother would come by on the weekend, and then I’d go back and play with the cat girl until granny told me we had to leave.  


Soon, I was old enough to drive to the onigiri shop and granny was getting tired and didn’t always want to leave for the weekend mountain trip but encouraged me to give gratitude to the elderly lady who lived on the mountain and buy her onigiri – of which, I didn’t mind.  


Okayu’s grandmother was much like my grandmother and sometimes I’d help her in the shop along with Okayu. She was so kind to me. Our friendship grew during this time.  


And then something seemed to shift and change; it was during a torrential rain storm I went to the mountain and played games in the back with Okayu. It neared three a.m. and I was still there in her back room. She was telling me to join her at an interview in the city for this new gaming group called Hololive Gamers. It sounded fun. We’d meet in the following weeks and audition and such.  


Anyway, while in the backroom we sat there playing games. It was small but comfy, with a bed, one chair and the floor where we played video games with the sound of a small storm as another typhoon rushed across Holios.  


“Want to just spend the night?”  


“What?” her question surprised me, and then a few nervous, “Uh, um, ugh…” followed.  


“Sure,” and then she laughed at my weirdness, “I love having dogs sleep beside me on my bed.”  


We both laughed. She was a cat and we usually didn’t get along in our world of Holios. This was a middle realm. There were many others and many lived here from other realms, like the Animas types (like me and Okayu), only one dragon I knew of from USDA, Demon Realm and Angelic One and Two, ParaNorm Realm, Elven Realm, and many others which were too many to name right now. We were like a middle ground where laws had been formed years ago that immigrants were welcome from other realms. It made it nice and mixed and so I’d met so many other races, but Doggos like me were slightly rare. My parents opened a bakery, but passed away years earlier, and then I was raised by my grandmother, and I grew up in a quiet life helping at the family bakery.  


But Okayu asked me to join her and wasn’t like any other cats I’d met. Mostly, they didn’t like me. I’d spent quite a bit of my youth fighting with cat types and my parents always told me not to fight back because I could hurt cats. So, I let them hit me, but I didn’t like it. Maybe there was a pent-up rage inside me that I didn’t want to escape, but overall, I truly liked others and wanted to join in and had become a bit of a people pleaser because of my Doggo nature.  


But Okayu wasn’t like any other cat girls I’d met. She had a way of breaking through my inner insecurities and I became my real self when I sat there laughing and chatting during our games. I’d never had a friend like that.  


“You live so far away, it’s a torrential rainstorm outside, and you drive out here every weekend for granny’s onigiri, so I know you have good taste and are a pure heart.”  


“A pure heart because of onigiri?” I laughed again, slapping her lightly and playfully.  


She moved closer beside me. “I like your little doggo laugh. You always make me laugh when you laugh like that.” And then she gently moved a strand of my hair from my shoulder. “I’m in the back and always know when you come to our shop when I hear your laugh. It makes me happier hearing your laugh.  


“But to answer your question, Doggo, its not because of onigiri its because how one treats our elders and the weaker is a sign of a good heart, and you’re always so kind to my granny. It spoke to me and said, ‘this is a pure and true hearted Doggo.’”  


I nervously laughed this time. But as her hand swept across my shoulder something inside fluttered in a way I had never felt. Her voice was tender in my acute hearing so that I enjoyed her voice more than anything.  


That was the first time I wanted to kiss her, hug her, or just move closer, but I didn’t. I just said, “It’s not raining that badly. I can drive back.”  


She pulled back and tucked her hands between her thighs and then giggled again. “You’re so weird.”  


“Why do you say that?”  


“Because even a pure heart can lie to itself.”  


I didn’t understand her at first, but then I realized what she meant. And so, with all my courage I suddenly leapt up and kissed her on the cheek, grabbed my bag, and then ran out of her room.  


When I got home, after driving slowly through the storm, I tiredly laid down my bag and then looked down to see I had a text. It read:  


“Thanks for the game. I hope you made it home safely.”  


It made me smile so big that she cared. I sent back a quick text that I was home safely, and then we exchanged a few more texts playfully as I eventually fell asleep with my phone on my stomach. We always ended our nights that way after playing games.  


After that moment, she would call me weirdo doggo, and laugh at me, but also, she was my biggest fan and the most encouraging as my fame grew to an embarrassingly quick rise. I never expected to be an idol and so popular because people liked how I played games, I guess. I always saw Okayu as the beautiful idol she is, but never me. She was always so calm, handling anything in life bravely, unlike me too. I truly was uncomfortably existing through this world, but she helped make me feel a part of the world I lived and actually pushed me forward, always by my side.  


I always felt so weak and shy and unable to handle the world around me, but when Okayu entered my life everything became bearable and attainable and soon I was able to stand on my own two feet. She was the one who encouraged me to work at Hololive Company with her and play games for a living, and so that’s what we did - together. 

Today…

Our friendship continued to grow and she’d drive down to my little bakery shop and buy pastries for her friends and granny, until the drive became too taxing and she decided to move to the city where we both worked. That’s when we decided she should just move in until she found a more stable place of her own.  


Whenever she left, she’d turn and with those deep purple eyes staring at me, she’d suddenly smile so large her entire countenance lit up into a happy warmth, her eyes closing, and she’d say, “until next time. Bye bye.”  


I’d bark a happy sigh, and then say, “Love you,” and she’d answer me with a roll of her eyes and that laugh, and then run back to her busy life.  


We got involved in this idol life together and were making a living doing what we loved – hanging out and playing games. And soon the popularity overtook my time and now I’m here sitting alone since she moved to her own place and the anxiety is growing again.  


We’re both so busy.  


We’re both living away from one another and it’s so quiet in my place when I get home that I don’t spend much time there and prefer to go to the Hololive studio and work or work at home, but I like to keep busy… so, I don’t feel so alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Feline View

Sometimes I think I’ll just lay down and relax and take it easy. I always wanted an easy life. A life where I could play games and laugh and joke with my friends and just hang out. That was a worthy life. And then she walked in my door and into my life and now I can’t stop thinking of her and those big brown eyes, the way she giggles and sounds so smart. She actually graduated from the top university, unlike me, not that it made me feel like less of a person. It made me realize this is ‘one smart Doggo’ and so proud when I see how she handles this life. I’d never met a smart dog before – they’re all pretty senseless, if you ask me. But she is very different – a one-of-a-kind Doggo.  


She truly stood out and was amazingly cute and infectious in how she was always so nervous and bouncing about, wagging her tail and such. It’s a pretty comfy tail. I nonchalantly laid against it while we were playing a game in my room and I don’t think she suspected a thing. I had wanted to kiss her the first time we actually spoke on more serious things, and stayed up all night gaming during a typhoon, but she was pretty clueless.  


Everyone falls in love with Korosan when they meet her and she doesn’t even realize it. It’s why she skyrocketed with her unassuming gentleness and humility. I just know I noticed her the first time she walked into my granny’s onigiri shop and wondered why she drove so far, every weekend for onigiri. She was someone I knew I wanted to get to know better.  


These days, I keep myself busy with projects, but with a simple text and or cry I rush to her side. She’s always the one who texts me first. I know I can be too laid back, but I really do appreciate that I have someone who will text me any time of the day or night. It’s become a sixth sense to know when she needs me.  


I’ve realized Koro-san has severe anxiety and it worries me at times that she might break. She’s almost too delicate for this life and this popularity she’s obtained, but I am positive she will handle it with everything she has, and perhaps that is my concern. And so, I don’t mind keeping one eye and one ear attuned to her as we both go through this experience.  


We got involved in our idol life at the same time, and they even wanted us to join the Hololive Gamers at the same time which was pretty fortuitous. We became inseparable with the new experience, and then suddenly she became so busy. I wanted her to collab with me first, and she did. When she did her first photo shoot, she said she didn’t want to do it without me. We always watched each other’s backs.  


One thing I know about Koro-san and that is if she starts something, she finishes it. In that way, she can get obsessed and not take care of herself. She might say that about me since I tend to eat convenience store ramen and quickie meals. I really don’t like to cook, and I think it tastes good. But Koro-san can work herself until she gets ill. It’s happened a few times. In that, I tend to worry that she will let this idol life tire her out too much. I’m a hearty cat with luck on my side, but Doggo’s tend to get hit by cars when they run in the street too often.  


That probably didn’t make sense. Hah, I think I’ll take a nap until my next stream.  


Temari, my pet cat, yes – cat girls have real pet cats - joins me and we lay on my bed, until I see a text. It’s Koro-san asking how my day went. I laugh to myself because it’s so like her to check in on me and ask me first how I’m doing.  


I reply, “good day, nyan,” insert a cat smiley face, and then fall asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story starts out really slow.

Chapter 3  
Canine View

We were set to do a photo shoot together. It was so much fun. Best friends goofing off. I know I act too silly for Okayu, but I love to hug her and give her a quick peck on the cheek whenever I see her. She just makes me so happy and makes my tail wag.  


“Okayu, Okayu,” I cry out when I see her, and she rolls her eyes, but lets me hug and kiss her on the cheek. She always blushes lightly, but acts like she doesn’t. I know Okayu loves me. I love her too. We’re the best of friends and I can’t see my life without her.  


And then I see Shion and Coco, Kanata and Mio walk by, but Shion makes it a point to walk up to Okayu and stand especially close, eyeing me all the while, and then acts very tsundere. I know Okayu likes girls like that, the kind that mentally abuse her. It’s why she also hangs out with Subaru because they like to use word play and jest back and forth. Okayu… gets along with everyone, and I sometimes withdraw because I have never done really well in crowds.  


Shion and Subaru have been paying a lot of attention to Okayu and doing more streams and hanging out with her, and I feel jealousy creeping up, growling under my breath, but I hate that about myself.  


I’m truly happy for every accomplishment Okayu reaches and honestly, its good she has so many other friends and girlfriends – quite a few girls, actually. I want her to be happy more than anything. She’s just too bright and shines too brightly to only be with me.  


There’s a part of me that is pure protective Doggo; and wish I could protect her heart but know she needs to experience her own life. And then I hate myself for being possessive and feel guilty and it begins to gnaw at my gut and I relax and smile and laugh with the rest of them, all the while growing more and more anxious. Okayu can handle large crowds with ease, but it always makes my stomach churn.  


My anxiety keeps me up at night and sometimes I’ll stream for hours and hours and then head to the bakery. I didn’t want to let down our family bakery – and granny is tiring more often, and so I keep working there, despite having more hours with the live streams and game play and so many people ask me questions and I don’t want to disappoint them. Their numbers keep growing and I am both happy, and feel so blessed and humbled by their attention. I call them my Yubi’s, and there are so many, but I get nervous I will let them down. I don’t want to disappoint. I have to work hard and do well, and today I was in a very good mood because of the photo shoot, but then Shion came by Okayu and whispered in her ear, and then… then, it made me feel very… alone again.  


It was a good photo shoot. I got to hang out with the best person in the world, Okayu and she asked me how I was doing and I told her how great my channel was doing and I had so many fans sending me messages that I was trying very hard to answer them all, and she hugged around me and told me close in my ear, “take care of yourself Koro-san. Okay?”  


I pulled away and smiled because she can be a very serious cat sometimes.  


“You’re doing fantastic doggo but sometimes you have to let yourself have time to be with yourself too.”  


I answered with one quick nod.  


“I’m going out later on a date with Subaru.”  


“Oh… cool.” I smiled and then left because I had another commitment with Marine.  


Again, I had to hold back that growling deep inside and walked away as she said, “bye- bye.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feline View - and sorry for the poor formatting.

**Chapter 4**

**Feline View**

Koro-san has me worried. Her beautiful big brown eyes have circles under them and despite me only being able to do basic math I can add up that if she is working on a twelve-hour stream and then working for eight hours, instead of four hours like she was supposed to at the bakery, then she isn’t getting more than a few hours of sleep.

Our Captain, Coco, in passing, told me that she is concerned and I needed to take better care of my Doggo sister. I know Coco comes off as silly, but she is one of the smartest and most mature people I have met at our office, and so I do consider her advice.

Doggos can be so dumb... because they are so loyal and always want to please. This Doggo is the worse. It makes me both proud of her work ethic, but also a little upset that she is working so hard.

Shion came up to me and whispered that she wanted to do more streams and music projects. I know she has a thing for me, and she keeps flirting and rubbing against me. I’d think she was a cat. But she is a witch with some powers that I’m not sure from her realm, and kind of a cheeky brat, but she can be fun to hang out with and super nice. Minato Aqua, is also a great friend and she asked me the same thing, and so I’ll be busy all week and won’t see Koro-san too much until next week… maybe?

I told her I was going on a date with Subaru, but I’m not sure why I told her that, and instead didn’t ask her if she was feeling okay. She looks overworked. But Subaru is pretty cool and we’ve been doing a lot more projects together, and so I thought, ‘ _why not ask her out on a date?_ ’ I’m sure she’ll say yes. 

And then I caught Aqua in the hall and told her she’s a gaming genius. I think I made her blush and then she spit out, “Don’t play with my feelings!”

I laughed, and loved how she could be so tsundere at times. Her little maid outfit is cute too, and I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed watching girls in maid outfits. 

She said it’s customary garb in her realm. We went out for dinner once, but it never blossomed to much more. Everyone calls her Baqua (because she’s a baka) which I think is funny, because she is secretly like a game savant. I catch her streams just to get gaming tips. 

Coco and Haachama make me laugh, and I catch AsaCoco every morning with Kanata and Watame. All of the Hololive members bring so much talent to our team and I love working with them all. I’ve been trying to get Koro-san to do more collabs with others and move out of her comfort zone – but sleep more.

I asked her if she will quit the bakery since her hours with this project have grown so much, but she just laughs it off. She hasn’t told me much, but I’m wondering what’s going on with her granny. I should probably stop by and say hello to Granny Doggo.

Mio wanted to do some gaming project with me, Koro-san and Subaru. That should be fun. I’ll have to ask Koro-san about that later. 

But my thoughts keep going back to how tired Koro-san looked, and I wish she would slow down, but she seems to be speeding up. 

Sensei Fubuki texted asking me to do some other project. I texted, “sure,” and then she texted me back, “You going to be playing Fall Guys later?” I texted, “you bet - I keep winning.”

She sent three LOL emoji’s and texted, “you’re a cocky and lucky cat.”

Well… I am.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canine View

**Chapter 5**

**Canine View**

My place seems so empty when I come home. It’s too quiet. I throw down my bag and place some ramen in the microwave. My stomach hasn’t felt so great, and I feel hungry but also not so hungry.

I finished a fun Minecraft stream with six others and they were all running around tagging one another and I felt so lost in the stream. I wasn’t feeling well all day. 

Shion came by and told me that I wasn’t talking enough and needed to be more present if I wanted to continue playing with them. I don’t know why she told me such a thing, and it upset me, but I know she’s nice and just trying to help but it irked me nonetheless.

I realized I still needed to answer some dm’s and email. I saw some comments on the most recent video and had to reply. I turned on my computer and began getting to work.

The ramen was unappealing with my stomach in knots so, I grabbed some warm tea.

I placed the ramen on the table. I was hungry and yet didn’t want to eat. I don’t know why I felt so strange.

I sat on my chair, but felt uncomfortable. I just wanted to lie down. Everything seemed so uncomfortable and my stomach didn’t feel well.

My body felt drained, and maybe I was coming down with a cold.

I walked toward the table, wanting to grab my tea.

Something wasn’t right, and so I wanted to text Okayu because I felt so lonely and afraid suddenly. My heart was racing, and I began to worry that something was wrong. It was racing, the way it does when your pulse feels like worms are crawling up your neck. Was I having a heart attack? I was a Doggo and didn’t think that possible with our breeds, plus I’m pretty young.

I began to text, I think.

My phone was in my hand one moment, and then I couldn’t grip it. 

_Why do I feel so cold?_

The phone dropped on the floor. I watched it travel as if in slow motion.

And then it felt like my body was crumbling within itself, as I began to fall to the floor.

_Blankness…_

_Nothing…_

Why am I on the floor?

I stare across the hardwood, moving in waves like an ocean of wood and my breathing was loud, and then I saw my phone.

I reached out to call Okayu, but then it just began to fade away like I was drifting further and further under the ocean of brown flooring, pulled lower and lower with gravity.

I was so scared because I could hear my heart beating harshly around my ears and throat.

It felt warm around my head, and I realized I smelled blood and must have hit my head without realizing, and the room kept fading away.

I weakly felt up at my head, it was moist and my hand shook so much, and I reached out again for the phone, but now I couldn’t even see it in the distance. Everything was moving so far away from my grasp.

It just kept moving further and further away, disappearing until nothing….


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feline View

**Chapter 6**

**Feline View**

I was at the office goofing off, watching Marine, Kanata and Coco doing some funny stuff and I was listening in on them in the Green Room and laughing so hard. 

Noel and Flare (I call her Fu-tan) were chatting and having coffee behind me, and called me over and asked what I’d be working on later in the day. I told them I had to finish something with Shion.

Yagoo, our boss, wants to build up the OkaKoro thing. Fans thought we were a thing. I was cool with it – since I’m cool with most things as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.

I told him I asked Subaru out and he told me not to overdo things.

I think that’s funny, because I don’t usually overdo anything.

They all like me and I like them but none of them could come between my love with Koro-san. That’s different because I know she’s always here for me. We’d been best friends forever.

Koro-san and I joined this thing together to play games with each other and everything had worked in our favor. I felt really happy and good about how this had turned out, but of course I loved hanging with everyone. I never minded whatever Yagoo thought up because he had million-dollar ideas and that was cool with me.

My ears began to feel itchy and prickly and I kept scratching at them, wondering if I needed to grab some swabs because they were especially itchy.

Sensei Fubuki walked by as I scratched at my ears and laughed and told me I looked like a typical cat.

“ _You_ look like a cat,” I laughed and she yelled, “I’m a FOX!”

That was a real sore spot with her, but she knew I was joking. But she did kind of look like a cat to me.

She asked me to join her as she butted into the AsaCoco stream with the other three really quickly.

Oh. My. God. Yes! She was my dream streamer, my Sensei, and any project with her would be awesome.

So, I joined the other ones and we were laughing so much at how crazy Coco could be and Kanata had amazing timing. They’re all so cool and I had a blast, but my ears still itched so much.

I left an hour later and looked down at my phone. Koro-san hadn’t texted me back about her day. That was weird. She always replied to my texts within minutes unless she was busy. She had left hours ago to rest and shower before her stream, and unlike her it was running late.

I shot out a quick text, and waited a moment.

“Hey Okayu!”

I turned quickly and Shion grabbed my arm into hers, “have time for some tea?”

“I’m,” I looked down and saw the text still hadn’t been read. “I have to go somewhere first.”

“After?”

“Um,” I looked down at the text and my ears felt especially itchy and so I said, “I have to make a call.”

Shion backed away, “sure, maybe another time.”

She seemed affronted, but I had to call Koro-san really quick, and she didn’t answer.

I busted out of the offices and grabbed a taxi to her place. I had just felt so uneasy, and my ears hadn’t stopped twitching.

Cats have various senses, and I was attuned to my best friend, and I wondered why the Doggo hadn’t replied to my text. It was very unlike her. The tension grew as I headed to her place.

I had a key and after banging on her door with no answer, I unlocked the door and rushed inside. That’s when I saw Koro-san lying on the floor.

I rushed over and noted the blood near her head.

“Koro!” I shook her gently. “Koro-san?” I grabbed her into my arms, pulling her onto my lap, and her eyes fluttered slightly. 

“O…kai…” and then she closed her eyes.

She had fallen and maybe hit her head. I looked over and saw there was blood on the corner of the table and she must have hit it.

That’s when I quickly lifted her up and onto my back, knowing I could rush to the hospital which wasn’t too far, more quickly than any ambulance.

The world passed by so quickly as I ran. It was blurred and elongated, and I know the blurriness was added by my crying. I felt something deep inside take over and I’d never moved so fast. It was a burst of energy that grew from deep inside, across every tendon and ligament, pumping quickly through my heart, to every limb; and I don’t remember ever having moved so fast.

The hospital was a moment ahead, and I leapt up and to the hospital doors, yelling for help.

The rest was a continual blur as the nurses and staff helped take her to a stretcher and away from me. I could only watch.

I stuck close and impatiently waited as they took her away into the emergency room. They told me to wait. I didn’t like waiting.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canine View (meaning Korone)

**Chapter 7**

**Canine View**

I opened my eyes slowly, and realized this wasn’t my apartment immediately.

I don’t know how I got to this place. I was looking up at bright luminescent lighting and it smelled like alcohol and cleaner and that’s when I saw an IV in my arm and felt up at a bandage on my head. I was in a hospital.

I started to move, but my head hurt so much and the room was fuzzy, but that’s when I looked to my left and saw her.

Okayu was lying with her head on my bed and her hand in my hand. I sat there for a moment feeling her hand in mine. It felt nice.

“ _Okai…u_?” I whispered because I didn’t want to wake her up. “ _Okayu_ ,” quietly, “you okay?”

She was sleeping, but moved slightly and then opened her big purple cat eyes, enclosed in naturally thick eyelashes, and looked up at me.

“Okayu?”

“You’re awake?”

I nodded once because movement hurt my head.

She straightened up and then stood. Looking down at me she had a strange look like I hadn’t seen before. She looked a little lost and like she had misplaced something and so I began to grow nervous and I began to look anywhere but at her gaze.

And then she leaned down to me and… hugged me. She hugged me and it was so quiet that I cleared my throat a few times. And then I coughed a little.

“ _Baka_ ,” she said quietly, and I could hear she was crying.

She pulled away from me and I was still frowning, I think. “Why are you calling me ‘baka?’”

“Because… you are.”

I growled lightly and then whimpered. I was in a hospital bed and she didn’t have to call me a baka.

And then I realized, “Why am I in a hospital, Okayu?”

I looked over the room and then felt dizzy, so I lifted my hand to my head, groaning.

“You okay?’ Okayu was very caring again and grabbed my hand. “Should I call the doctor?”

“Um…how… um… why?”

“Oh, you’re in a hospital.”

“I know that – I meant…”

“… I found you on the floor at your place and you had hit your head and so I lifted you on my back and ran down here as fast as I could. It must have all been adrenaline, because I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast…”

“You what?”

“I ran to the hospital with you on my back.”

I sat there blinking a moment, and then, “What?!”

She nodded. “I just panicked and picked you up since the hospital wasn’t that far, and then… ran.”

I giggled without meaning to, but it sounded funny to me. A cat girl carrying a dog girl on her back.

“Okayu, you could have hurt your back.” I laughed, and Okayu didn’t.

She looked upset. I’d never seen Okayu looking this upset. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have never seen her upset.

“They said you have a concussion and have a weak system and need fluids. It’s because you don’t take care of yourself and you work too much,” and then she paced slightly, tugging at her hair, “I told you to take it easy. Didn’t I tell you to take it easy?” And, she continued to pace back and forth as she spoke, “And you just don’t listen, but you’re worried about my back?” She pulled at hair harshly, and a tear fell at the corner of her eye. “I know you can be such a stubborn doggo… but really Koro-san!”

“Okay,” I felt like crying, and whimpered slightly because she was being harsher than I thought she should. But also, I knew she cared and that’s why she was upset.

She finally stopped the pacing and stared down into my eyes.

“You need to ask for help if you need it. You need to say no and take time for yourself. I always tell you this over and over again, and you don’t listen. What am I supposed to do if you don’t take my advice?”

I continued to whimper.

And then I felt her come down and hug around me again, but this time her words were soft and gentle, “Please, don’t scare me like this again Koro-san? I was so worried. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

And I could hear her begin to cry again. I lifted my arm that didn’t have an IV and held around her shoulders. “I… will be better,” I cried.

Until we were both crying and hugging on this bed in a hospital room, and all I could mutter in my crying voice was, “Okayu, Okayu, Ogay…u, Okaiiiii…u.”

She giggled at my repetition, I think, and kept holding me. And then she repeated mimicking, “ _Okayu, Okayu, Okayu_ ,” until we both sniggered in each other’s arms, snuggling and I loved her warmth and the way her hair smelled, and it made me feel loved. 

Okayu always made me feel loved.

Eventually all the Hololive gang, my fellow Hololive Gamers, and everyone stopped by; and many brought me flowers and such, since I had to stay a few days in the hospital. Everyone was so sweet and I cried a lot. Even all my fans were inundating the hospital with messages to the point they were blocking people from entering and only granny could come by. I think it upset some of the hospital staff and they didn’t understand why a V-Tuber would be so popular. It’s not like I was Nana Komatsu.

My granny brought me chocolate cornets and other delicious food. My granny loves food and sweets like me. She told me to take time off from the bakery for two weeks. I wasn’t sure I should, but my granny told me I had to because she wouldn’t let me back into the bakery; she hired a part-timer. She can be very stern for her age. But I know she meant it to help push me to take time off.

I’d be released soon enough and kept telling all I was fine. It was just a little bump on the head and I was getting fluids and growing healthier. I was a strong pup, and would pull through this and be able to work full strength soon. No worries.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Okayu's POV

**Chapter 8**

**Feline View**

I had been so scared. It struck me how much I loved and needed Koro-san in my life. I had always played life pretty carefree and loosely, but I’d never been so scared until I saw Koro-san lying and bleeding on the floor of her apartment. 

That brought me to the decision. I talked to my pet cat Temari, and asked her what she thought. Oddly enough, my cat dislikes Koro-san because of her canine-ness.

I asked her to form a truce and my cat agreed. I told her to just try and lay on her lap because it can be very warm. She might end up liking her, and so a truce was formed.

When my granny was sick once Koro-san’s grandmother took me in, fed me delicious bakery goods, and was very welcoming, and I saw how Koro-san grew into the warm and welcoming Doggo that she is, and so I wanted to help her and maybe encourage her back to health.

So, I invited her to move in with me and maybe take a few days off work. I could finally take care of her. Her grandmother told me she would bring by home-cooked meals because she knew that I only bought fast food and convenient store ramen. I laughed, but was happy to have home-cooked meals brought by my place.

All agreed it was best. Surprisingly, Koro-san agreed rather quickly. I think she honestly felt tired and I knew the concussion made her head hurt and she was taking medication for the pain.

We both lived alone for months, but living together for a couple of weeks would be nice. I knew Temari would eventually fall in love with Koro-san – they just needed more time together.

Koro-san was in my bed sleeping at the back bedroom, when Granny Doggo came by with a basket of goodies and a warm meal, some rice, and I told her she should have called me to help carry stuff up, but then I noticed a young man in the hallway with dark hair. He smiled and waved at me and told Granny Doggo he’d be outside waiting.

“Is that your part-timer?” I asked Granny Doggo.

She nodded and quietly placed everything on my counter and then walked up to me slowly, her gait always with a slight favoring to her right side. She grabbed my hand tenderly and looked up and into my eyes. I now knew where Koro-san learned to stare at someone intensely when she spoke.

“Granny-sama, is everything okay?”

She bowed and then lowered to the ground and to her knees.

“Granny-sama, no…”

“Shush Neko, I must thank you.” 

She bowed deeply to the ground, her head down and touching near the floor, and sat for a while and then rose. I helped her back up standing. I felt embarrassed because I didn’t think I deserved such respect by Granny Doggo.

“You are a good Neko, and I will not be here for long on this world.”

“What?”

“I am telling you to listen.”

“Yes.” I bowed my head in respect as she stood in front of me. 

“How is your granny?” she asked.

“She is well.”

“She is a good person. And she raised you well.”

“Thank you.” 

I had always felt strangely in front of Koro-san’s grandmother and I don’t know why she made my heart race – and almost in fear of her strength. It’s like I was standing in front of a powerful person, like a last boss to fight, or something. I could hear Temari in the back meowing, and in my mind, I told her to be quiet.

I felt Granny Doggo staring at me and I had looked away, but finally gazed back into her soft brown eyes. I know Koro-san was a half-Animas like me, and her grandmother was a true Doggo – unlike my granny who was human. They lived very long and so; I don’t know why she said she wouldn’t be long in this world.

“This world of Holios is an interesting place and has allowed so much to happen, but time passes and in time happens so much happiness and goodness, but also heartache and pain. I knew when your granny took you in that she was tempting fate and I have watched you grow up into such a good girl.”

“Granny-sama…?” 

And then she looked at me and I shut up instantly, as she spoke. In her eyes I could see her telling me to wait for her to finish. That’s how powerful her presence could be.

“You young ones have no idea of the world of yesterday, when pain and heartache ruled happiness and goodness. My little Koro-chan has a path that is difficult because times will change again, and I want you to continue to be with her and by her side because I know it will make this life easier.”

This discussion seemed too serious. I had just gotten her to the hospital in time and I didn’t know what Granny Doggo meant. Was something happening that I hadn’t heard about? I never watched the news and rarely knew what was going on in the world of Holios or any other Realm. I found the news negative and boring, and then she began speaking again so I listened intently.

“I will go to the mountain shrine and speak with your granny and tell her you are well. I will tell her that you are with Koro-chan and behaving well. Your cat is very disrespectful.”

“Thank you,” I bowed again, but then glanced behind at Temari with her back hairs raised and looking very upset.

“Temari, it’s okay.”

Temari slinked away, purring her disapproval loudly, and left for the back.

Granny Doggo knew I had been adopted by granny, but she made it sound almost like I was taken in with regret and I was unsure what she meant. I wanted to ask, but didn’t want to disrespect.

“I will come by again in a week. I must leave for the mountain to pay respect to our gods and ancestors. Please continue to care for Koro-chan while I’m gone.”

“You won’t ask her to join you?”

“She is healing and needs to rest.”

“Oh yeah, of course.”

She huffed, as if bothered by my interruption.

I nodded again, lowering my head in respect. “Of course, I will take good care of Koro-san. She is… everything to me. Forgive my rudeness and thoughtlessness, Granny-sama. I would do anything for Koro-san.”

And then she stared into my eyes with those soft brown eyes, aged in wisdom, and she finally smiled, took my hand in hers, squeezed and then left.

As I closed the door, I could hear the part-timer speak in a very submissive tone and I guess Granny Doggo elicited that from everyone. I always thought it was strange she ran a bakery when she seemed like someone who should run a country. 

When she would come to our shop my granny would sit alone speaking with her, and then my granny never mentioned the Granny Doggo after she left our shop. I never questioned anything, but then I was enamored by her granddaughter.


End file.
